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Thursday, 27 June 2013

Running Wild

I spent some time in the garden at Faulty Towers this week. The top half of it has been given over to pallets of bricks, huge steel beams and a cheap plastic table and chairs to be used for builder's tea breaks. The remainder has been left to run wild. Mother Nature has taken full advantage of the free rein she has been given, has not held back from spreading her green fingers, infiltrating each and every inch to create carpets and canopies of green.

I rather like it. Manicured lawns and borders are not my thing (much to Husband’s disgust.) I like jungly, adventurous gardens; perhaps that’s reflective of the fact that I’m not much of a gardener and why untamed appeals to me.

The garden is like a meadow now. Grass calf high, studded with hundreds of daisies and little blue flowers.

The borders are wild. A few flowers bloom, a deep pink shrub here, some red roses there. If I was there to water and look after them, perhaps they would survive a little longer, but as I'm not there, raindrops will be the only water they get - unless the builders decide to water them - which is highly unlikely.

The apple trees seem to be faring well. The plum tree promises a good harvest and is currently laden with unripened fruit. I am not allowing myself to get excited though, especially after last year’s Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Plums. Really, it seems that it's down to luck whether I get any plums at all. Me vs the Parakeets; current score 0:1.

The archway to the secret garden is getting overgrown now. Branches block the way. A fox has designated it his toilet area. A few lone Kent Bells can be seen, about to open, and a small forest of ferns. It is starting to look and smell unloved.

We need to decide what we are going to do with our garden, how we make it compliment the newly renovated house. Husband has big plans, he talks of 'hard landscaping', dreams of a pizza oven and an outdoor kitchen. (I stress - dreams.) I on the other hand, am just keen to preserve my plum tree, my apple trees and the two self seeded oaks right at the bottom. I do love a good tree. They look so lovely and take so little work, with the added bonus of being great climbing apparatus - some of my favourite pictures of Pip are of him in the apple tree.

15 comments:

Ah I too love the more natural looking garden and have been letting an area of mine 'grow free'. Sadly it's gotten to the point when it needed some intervention before a. the children got lost in there and b. it became a tick-fest.

I mowed it all today, and sad as I feel about that I look forward to it growing wild and free once more. Totally agree with you on how a garden is great to be an adventure rather than a place where every blade of grass and plant must be meticulously pruned!

While your photos are lovely and I can appreciate the wild look if it belongs in someone else's garden, I'm with your husband ... bring on structure ... and a pizza oven? Surely you can't say no to a pizza oven??!

Now you see, I can see you in a wild meadow garden, plums ripening, apples falling to the ground. Why am I thinking of that shampoo advert from ages ago!!?? Your photos are lovely, the flowers gorgeous but I have to admit to liking a tidier garden, but you can always keep a wilder element to it in the way you plant your plants I guess? A pizza oven sounds like a cool idea - summer evenings (when it isn't raining) with a chilled glass of Pinot Grigiot.

Ps. What do you mean this isn't one of your better posts?! I beg to differ! :o).

If only I was the Timotei girl...that would be lush..and then perhaps I could morph into the flake girl too and lie in a boat in a cave eating chocolate. Anyway...back to reality. Check back here in a year's time, there's no way Husband will be allowing anything remotely messy in his new garden!

I love the look of your garden as it is, all wild and free, but can imagine it will look so fabulous next year. I want an outdoor kitchen but have to settle for a gas barbeque as the weather is just so unpredictable, but a pizza oven *sigh* we would both love one of those, our local authentic Italian has one & the pizza's are amazing!Hope you are well xxx

It does look and sound beautiful. I love wilder unkempt gardens too, although I think we're currently pushing the boundary with ours. And a pizza oven? Wow. Future summer evenings outdoors for you... Sounds bliss x